Specialty infectious disease ICD-9-CM 017.1 eMedicine derm/135 | ICD-10 A18.4 (ILDS A18.482) DiseasesDB 1272 MeSH D004891 | |
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Bazin disease (or "Erythema induratum") is a panniculitis on the back of the calves.
Contents
It was formerly thought to be a reaction to the tuberculum bacillus. It is now considered a panniculitis that is not associated with a single defined pathogen.
It occurs mainly in women, but is very rare now.
Pathophysiology
Predisposing factors include abnormal amount of subcutaneous fat, thick ankles and abnormally poor arterial supply. Abnormal arterial supply causes low-grade ischemia of ankle region. The ankle skin becomes sensitive to temperature changes. When weather is cold, ankle is cold, blue and often tender. In hot weather, ankle becomes hot, edematous, swollen and painful. Chilblains may be present. On palpation, small superficial and painful nodules are felt. They break down to form small and multiple ulcers. Fresh crops of nodules appear in periphery of ulcer and ultimately break down. In nodular stage, pain is present; while it subsides in ulcerative stage.
Eponym
It is named for Pierre-Antoine-Ernest Bazin.